Nurse Practitioner to Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Benefits

This program is fully approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing offering completion of the Post Master's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate in 4 semesters. Health care initiatives are now stressing the importance of integrative care that incorporates medical and psychiatric care as part of the health care gestalt. This program will therefore meet the needs of a significant number of primary care nurse practitioners who wish to add certification in the psychiatric arena to their practices.

Candidates

Nurses currently holding a master's degree in nursing from a nationally accredited graduate nursing program and national certification as an Adult Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner are eligible to apply to the post-Master's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) certificate program. The post master's certificate program will prepare completers as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) and make them eligible to apply for an advanced practice PMHNP license and to take the National PMHNP certification exam. Formal application to the university is required.

Other factors considered for admission to the program include:

A minimum graduate GPA of 3.00 as verified by transcript submission
A current unencumbered registered nurse license in the State of Louisiana
Two professional references
Current resume
Transcript analysis and evaluation of prerequisite courses (i.e., Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics and Advanced Pathophysiology) to determine adequacy of the full lifespan content.

Online Learning

All practicum experiences must be completed in the state of Louisiana. The didactic courses are offered online, and practicum courses have an online didactic component, plus a clinical experience component (120 to 240 hours in each) in which the student works with an approved advanced practice preceptor guided by a graduate faculty. The 18 credit hour curriculum for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners includes five courses: Diagnostic Considerations and Psychopharmacology for Psychiatric Disorders, Psychotherapy for the Advanced Practice Nurse, Advanced Practice Nursing: Family Psychiatric/Mental Health (PMH) I, Advanced Practice Nursing: Family Psychiatric/Mental Health (PMH) II, and Advanced Practice Nursing: Family Psychiatric/Mental Health (PMH) III.

Program Outcomes

The ICMSN Post Master's Certificate Family Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program prepares graduates to:

Lead interprofessional team efforts to collaboratively improve patient and population health outcomes.
Participate in clinical prevention and population health initiatives designed to improve health.
Advocate for changes in health policy which positively impact provision of care.
Acquire additional advanced nursing practice competencies and skills.

Admission Information

Curriculum Information